The outer walls of most modern buildings are insulated with an insulating material. In some buildings the exterior walls comprise two separate wall surfaces, and a layer of an insulating material is placed between the two surfaces. The insulating material can minimize the effects of ambient temperature fluctuations and generally reduce heating and cooling losses. One type of insulation is a spray foam insulation, such as a polyurethane spray foam insulation. Some types of spray foam insulations are known to expand, sometimes by many factors, and can produce heat and gases when curing into a final rigid state.
Although these buildings can be well insulated, rain water, water formed as a result of condensation, and the like can collect and drip down surfaces that have been insulated. To prevent the water that potentially collects and drips down a wall from causing damage, water resistant materials, such as flashing, are typically draped from a wall above any openings and/or other water sensitive areas. More particularly, one side of a water resistant material is secured to a portion of a wall and the opposing side is draped over the opening or water sensitive area. This ensures that any water that may drip down the side of a wall does not enter the opening or contact the water sensitive area, but instead is redirected over the water resistant material.
Current building techniques require that water resistant materials be applied to walls before spraying any foam insulation on to the walls. However, in order to fully insulate areas that immediately surround covered openings and other areas, the free end of the water resistant material is folded upwardly and is temporarily attached above the opening or area. This permits the spray foam insulation to reach the areas above the openings and water sensitive areas that would otherwise be covered by the water resistant material. Then, once the spray foam insulation has cured and hardened, the water resistant material is returned to its original position so that it covers and protects any openings and water sensitive areas.
This known technique poses several problems. Typically, the free end of the water resistant material is temporarily attached to a wall with a nail, staple, pin, or the like while the spray foam insulation is being applied. This forms holes in the water resistant material that increase the risk of water penetrating through the material. Spray foam insulation can also be deposited onto the water resistant material, possibly inadvertently. When the insulation cures and hardens, the heat, expansion forces, and other effects caused by the foaming insulation can deform the water resistant material. Deformed water resistant materials embedded in the insulation or external to it can direct the water flow in a manner inconsistent with the desired result, can be difficult to drape over openings and other water sensitive areas, and can be ineffective at repelling water. Deformed sections of water resistant materials that meet at a corner of a structure can also be relatively more difficult to properly lay over one another, and therefore additional material and/or modifications are necessary to ensure that no water leakage and damage will occur. Further still, the spray foam insulation on the structure can be damaged or break when the water resistant material is returned to its original position after the foam insulation has hardened, which can decrease the durability and effectiveness of the spray foam insulation.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a system and method that ensures that openings and other water sensitive areas on a surface remain free from water damage. A system and method that meets these needs and that can be quickly and easily implemented would be highly desirable and beneficial.